---
name: "systemd-storage-block@.service"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "systemd"
version: "262.1-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/systemd-storage-block@.service"
---

# systemd-storage-block@.service(8)

Storage provider exposing local block devices as storage volumes

## NAME

systemd-storage-block@.service, systemd-storage-block.socket, systemd-storage-block - Storage provider exposing local block devices as storage volumes

## SYNOPSIS

systemd-storage-block@.service

systemd-storage-block.socket

## DESCRIPTION

systemd-storage-block@.service is a system service that implements the **io.systemd.StorageProvider** **Varlink**\[1\] interface, exposing the system's block devices (such as disks, partitions, and device-mapper nodes) as storage volumes that may be acquired by other programs as file descriptors.

The service is socket-activated via systemd-storage-block.socket, which listens on the AF\_UNIX socket /run/systemd/io.systemd.StorageProvider/block. The socket directory /run/systemd/io.systemd.StorageProvider/ is the well-known location where storage providers register, see [**storagectl**(1)](/storagectl/1.md) for an enumeration tool.

See also **systemd-storage-fs@.service**(8) for a complementary implementation that exposes regular files and directories from a backing file system.

## VOLUMES

The volumes exposed via the provider are identified by an absolute path (which must begin with /dev/), i.e. as a kernel block device node such as /dev/sda or /dev/disk/by-id/.... Volume names that are not normalized or that do not begin with /dev/ are not accepted.

## OPTIONS

The following options are understood:

- **-h**, **--help**

  Print a short help text and exit.

- **--version**

  Print a short version string and exit.

## FILES

/run/systemd/io.systemd.StorageProvider/block

AF\_UNIX socket the service listens on. This is the canonical location for the "block" storage provider, and is enumerated by **storagectl providers**.

Added in version 261.

## SEE ALSO

[**systemd**(1)](/systemd/1.md), [**storagectl**(1)](/storagectl/1.md), **systemd-storage-fs@.service**(8)

## NOTES

- 1\.

  Varlink

  https://varlink.org/